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Senate Democrats introduce bill to limit corporate campaign spending

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A group of Senate Democrats on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at curbing foreign and corporate influence in elections after a recent Supreme Court decision eased restrictions on campaign spending. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court struck down Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), which prohibited corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures for speech defined as an "electioneering communication" or for speech expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate. According to a press release, the legislation, entitled the DISCLOSE Act, seeks to: partly restore those limits - by barring foreign-controlled corporations, government contractors and companies that have received government assistance from making political expenditures - and also require corporations, unions, and other organizations that make political expenditures to disclose their donors and stand by their ads.The lawmakers hope to pass the DISCLOSE Act by July 4 so that it will take effect for the 2010 elections.US President Barack Obama has sharply criticized the Supreme Court's holding in Citizens United, most notably in this year's State of the Union speech. Obama warned of the increased potential for powerful interest groups, both foreign and domestic, to wield excessive influence over American elections and called for bipartisan support of legislation to counteract the decision. Earlier this month, the US Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the effects of the Citizens United decision.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 29, 2010 (boomark / email).